


Stuck

by CompletelyDifferent



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Nonbinary Character, F/M, Friendship, Gen, POV Second Person, Steven and Connie's relationship can be seen as either romantic or platonic however you're inclined, Time Travel, there's some really background Rupphire and Rose/Pearl but not worth tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6569680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CompletelyDifferent/pseuds/CompletelyDifferent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flung back in time and unable to defuse, Stevonnie must find a way to return to the present... and perhaps, get some answers along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There’s a jolt through your entire body. A gasp, a wild swirling, confusion, sickening dizziness- and then a thud, as you land heavily on your back.

The adrenaline is pumping and your instincts are screaming at you to _get up_ , but instead you force yourself to lay still for a few moments. Wait for the dizziness to pass, get your bearings. The fall was hard, but the ground beneath you is soft, and some careful wiggling tells you that you aren’t seriously injured. You open your eyes and ease into a sitting position. You look around.

You’re on a beach. A very familiar beach, in fact, judging from the sight of the Temple in the distance.

“Beach City?” you mutter. “How did we get here?”

There’s no response. You look around. There is no ‘we’- or, well, as a fusion, there _is_ , but beyond the background presence of Steven-and-Connie, you’re alone. None of your friends are with you.

“Guys?” you ask, just in case. Still no Gems in sight.

You frown, trying to work out what happened. You were on a mission, knee-deep in a battle in some ancient Gem ruins. There had been weird booby traps, then a giant flock of evil Gem locusts-- a huge pedestal rising from the floor, carrying a strange shining sphere of gold— A sudden attack of the giant mother locust-- Amethyst getting picked up in the mother’s mandibles and thrown right at it— the weird ornament went flying, directly at you, too fast to dodge-- it hit you directly in the forehead-- and then?--

 _Okay._ Okay. Magical Gem artefact. That would explain it. Teleportation. That’s what’s going on here.

You hiss in frustration. You were in the middle of a fight! The others might need you!

Well. Standing here isn’t going to help. You look around, checking to see if your sword came with you— but no, it must have gotten left behind, which is less than awesome. That’s one of the major drawbacks of not being able to summon it directly from your gem like with your shield. You also check yourself over more closely for wounds. Nothing major, though your bare arms and legs are covered in little insect bites. They’re irritating, not painful. You can deal with them later. For now, you gotta get yourself to the Warp Pad and back to the others.

You take off down the beach at a quick jog, relishing the rush of blood. At first, you’re completely focused, eyes dead set on the Temple in the distance… but as you run, your attention wanders. You get distracted by a seagull swooping overhead, the warm smell of fresh pizza, the strum of a guitar in the distance, the rumble of a car on the boardwalk…

You glance over at it. Cars don’t usually go on the boardwalk, except for Mayor Dewey’s. But judging from the lack of Giant Head, this isn’t his. Looks like a lost tourist. A lost tourist with a really _old_ car, though one being kept in pretty good condition. Maybe there’s some sort of antique car fair in town?

Nah. That doesn’t seem right. This car isn’t old enough for that kind of thing, or fancy enough.

You come to a slow, watching the car as it retreats down the boardwalk. It’s not the only thing that seems a little off, but you can’t place what. Brow furrowed, you try to put it together.

Did… did the Pizzas get a new shop sign? And why are there so many more posters and newspaper stand-thingies on the wall next door? And why is that person there dressed so strangely, like someone out of an old movie?

And… and where’s the Big Donut?

“This is weird.”

“What’s weird?” asks a familiar voice from behind you.

You turn around to say hi, and yelp when you do. “Da- _aaa_ \---!”

“Because,” Mr. Universe says, “If there’s something weird going on, I think I know some folks who can help.”

You gape.

It’s Dad. Or no, not Dad, Mr. Universe. Because he still has hair all over his head, and he’s wearing his old black shirt, and he’s strumming his guitar while he walks, and he’s still wearing earrings and _what_.

Mr. Universe watches you expectantly, and seems to grow uncomfortable when you don’t answer. Then he notices something and his face brightens. “Hey, wait, are you fan?”

“Uuuuuhhh,” you manage.

“You’re wearing my merch!” he says.

You glance down. And sure enough, there’s Steven’s typical red star shirt, sitting above Connie’s black fighting outfit. You’re floundering, you have no idea how to respond, yet somehow you feel your mouth saying, “Uh, yep! Yep, exactly! I’m a huge fan of your work, Mr. Universe!”

He beams, stuck somewhere between joy and embarrassment. “Wow. Well, always great to meet a fan. What’s your name?”

“Stev--lla,” you stutter. “ _Stella_. Yeah.”

“Cool.” He grins. “You know, that shirt seems kind of small for you. If you want, I can hook you up with something bigger. I’ve still got lots of old merchandise lying around.”

“Uh… uh, no, it’s fine, thank you Mr. Universe,” you say. “It’s— it’s a style.”

“Ah, just call me Greg.” He shakes his head. “I can never keep up with the fashion trends these days. Is that’s what’s up with forehead jewellery?”

“What?”

He taps his forehead. “That gold circle. Or is it like a… a bindi, I think it’s called?”

Your hand flies to your forehead. Sure enough, you feel a smooth, metallic bump where there should be bare skin. You’re confused, but you improvise quickly. “Yeah, exactly! It’s a bindi. I’m Indian on one side.”

It’s not even a lie.

You’re confused. You’re _really_ confused. And you want nothing more than to ask this man who-is-but-isn’t-your Dad for help, or else go running desperately in the opposite direction, but you can’t. You need to figure out what is going on. So you square yourself and ask, “What was that you were saying about someone who could help?”

“Hmm? Oh, right. Yeah, I’m talking about the Gems. They’re the magical ladies that live down the beach.” He points towards the Temple. “You know, monster attacks, defending humanity, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, right. I learned about about them in school,” you say, and again, not technically a lie. “Do you know them?”

He twirls a finger through his hair as a cocky smile spreads across his face. “Yeah. You could say I’m _pretty_ close to them.”

“Are they around?” You try to make it sound casual, but a hint of desperation leaks through.

He immediately grows a little more guarded. “Uh. Well, they were off a mission earlier, but they’re probably around now. Why? Is there something dangerous going on?”

“Oh. Oh, well, I just think it would be cool to meet them!”

He regards you. “Well. Sure. They’re pretty rad. But they can be kind of weird around hu— new people. I could introduce you, if you really want, but--”

“No! No. No, it’s alright, thank you, D- Mr— Greg. Don’t worry about it.” You look down at your wrist, even though you’re not even wearing a watch. “Actually, I’ve really got to run! Thanks so much for your help see you around bye!”

You take off. You can feel him staring after you, flabbergasted. Once you’re far enough away down the beach, you risk one look back. He blinks down at the sand, then shrugs and resumes strumming his guitar as he strolls off.

You dive behind a boulder, and force yourself to breathe.

_What is going on?_

“Time travel,” you say aloud. “It’s the only explanation.

“Well, not the only one,” you confess a moment later. This could be a dream or a hallucination or some sort of holographic simulation. “But it’s the most likely.”

Time travel. Time travel. You’re swamped with memories of rushing water, the smell of salt, dozens of Stevens and punching and screaming and crying and dissolving and your mouth feels very dry. Not even the Gems were entirely sure what had happened that day, only that some alternate version of Steven(s) must have messed up tremendously. You don’t want there to be a repeat of that.

“There won’t be,” you say, with more confidence than you feel.

Gingerly, you reach up to touch the strange thing on your forehead. It’s smooth and cool, circular, about twice the size as your thumb. It must be the weird magical artefact from the ruins. It’s what’s probably gotten you into this whole mess. Maybe you just need to get it off of you.

You explore it with your fingers, trying to find the place where it meets your skin, some sort of crease where you can wedge in your nails and pry it out. But you can’t find any. The transition from metal to flesh is seamless, like the gem embedded in your belly. You groan with frustration, then flop onto the sand.

Okay. That didn’t work. What now?

Before going in, assess what you know. That’s what Pearl told you to do before going into a battle, and the principle is the same here.

So, you’ve been teleported to Beach City, apparently back in time. How far back?

Dad/Mr. Universe/Greg looked significantly younger than the one you’re used to. Not as young as in the music video with Rainbow Quartz— this Greg had greyer hair, a bigger belly, more lines on his face. But still a little younger than in the VHS tape left in Lion’s mane. Somewhere in between the two then. That puts you in 1996, maybe? 1998?

The specifics don’t matter. What matters is getting back.

But how? You don’t know the first thing about time travel!

… but the Gems would know.

The Gems. You’re filled with a desperate rush of longing for them. Of course they would know, _of course_ they would help. Amethyst would throw an arm around your shoulder (or waist, since you’re so tall like this), and tell you to chill, and Pearl would begin a long lecture on the nature of time, and then Peridot would interrupt to correct her on some minor point and the two would start squabbling, and then Garnet would shush them with a single word, before telling you exactly what to do.

But that’s _your_ Gems, and you’re in the past right now. Peridot isn’t even on the planet! Connie and Steven aren’t even _born_ yet, and the others won’t know who you are! How are you going to convince them to help you? _“Oh, my name’s Stevonnie, I’m a three quarters human fusion from the future!”_

No. You know how they can be about stuff like that. They’d probably freak.

And what if you _did_ manage to convince them? You’ve seen time travel movies before, and TV episodes too, and it **never** ended well. Time-lines getting rewritten, people fading from existence, memories becoming altered. What if you let slip something about the future? What if you somehow manage to wipe yourself from existence. What if—

You’re breathing fast, your hands are digging into the sand, your eyes are hot, and you’re horrified and terrified, and you feel _so alone_. You press your eyes close, certain that when you open them, you won’t be yourself anymore, that you’ll be Connie and Steven and—

— but when you do, you’re still you.

You gulp desperately for air.

You still feel horrified and anxious. You desperately wish there was someone here to hold your hand, but there isn’t, so you settle for pulling your legs to your chest and wrapping your arms around them.

“It’s okay,” you and Steven and Connie all tell yourself in unison. “It’s okay.”

Alright. Alright. You can do this. You can find the Gems, find a way to get their help without freaking them out or changing the future. Just start from the beginning. “You know how Greg and Rose Quartz fell in love? Well…”

Wait.

You’re back in time. Back at least fifteen years. If you want help, you don’t have to go to Garnet, Amethyst or Pearl at all.

You have to go find Rose Quartz.


	2. Chapter 2

The Temple looks so _different_.

You knew what to expect, but you’re still taken aback. You have dim memories from when Steven was very little, when his room was still being built— but even then, there was still a wooden frame around the Temple’s base. There’s nothing now, just bare rock. It looks so odd and exposed, the mighty fusion’s hands cupped carefully around the door. You stare up at it for a long moment, a strange chill running down your back.

A gull caws loudly overhead, startling you out of your trance. You shake your head and say, “Let’s go.”

You start up the hill to the Temple, and have just reached the area which in your time has a helpful set of stairs, when you hear the familiar swoosh of a warp pad activation. You freeze.

From above comes Amethyst’s voice, saying “That was so _cool_!”

Panic. You look around wildly, and then dive to the side, ducking behind the sandy slope leading to the temple. Crouching there, pressed against the side, you suddenly feel too big. You hope your hair isn’t poking out.

You hold your breath. You can hear approaching footsteps. You focus, and count two sets. One’s Amethyst— who’s the other?

“You did very well, Amethyst,” says a prim and proper voice. Pearl. “Excellent use of shape-shifting in battle.”

“Aww. Well, thanks!” Her voice sounds close; they must be right above you. You hold your breath. “Did you like that spinny thing I did?”

“I thought that was wonderful.”

Something causes Amethyst to burst into giggles, and Pearl chuckles softly in response. You wonder why. Your lungs are begging for air.

Finally, their footsteps fade away, and you let yourself suck in a huge breath. Then, carefully, you poke your head up over the sand. In the distance you can see Pearl and Amethyst retreated down the beach. They’re wearing different clothes than you’re used to. Amethyst lopes around, switching between walking on two legs and running around on all fours, her hair long and messy. They’re still laughing animately about something. You fight the sudden urge to call out to them.

You’re glad Garnet wasn’t with them. There’d be no hiding from _her_.

You clamber back up the path, making the climb to the Temple’s mouth as quickly and quietly as possible. Inside the cave, shaded from the sun, it’s dark and cool. The stone floor is cold against your bare feet. Water drips quietly from the ceiling, the sound echoing oddly in the stillness. Your hands are clenched as you move deeper inside. This does not feel like home. It is somewhere magical and otherworldly and you feel like a trespasser. 

Soon you come to face the Temple’s door. Five circles arranged in the shape of a star. Your eyes are drawn inexorably to the pink one, right at top point.

Should you go in?

If you’re looking for Rose Quartz, her room is logically one of the first places to check. You’re not exactly jumping at the prospect, however. Firstly, you don’t even know if the Temple will open for you— the door’s finicky enough to operate in your own time, and you’re not sure if it’ll recognise you here. At the same time, you’re a little afraid that it will recognise and respond to you. What if you go in, and Rose isn’t there, but the room makes it seem like she is? Its illusions can be so _real_ , so convincing. You’re in no rush to repeat unpleasant past experiences.

“What other choice do I have?” you wonder aloud. Dad/Mr. Universe/Greg didn’t know where Rose was, and with warp pad access, she could be practically _anywhere_ on the planet. Checking everywhere would take forever, and you’d be almost certain to miss her, besides.

No. The Gems never warp to random places just to hang out. If Rose isn’t here, it’s for a reason. Probably not a mission, because Pearl and Amethyst just came back from one. Maybe the armory, then? You sure hope not. Without Lion that’ll be a three hour climb, and you’re no mountaineering expert.

Where else, then?

It comes to you in a flash.

You rush to the Warp Pad, and concentrating, hold your destination in your mind. Bright light shoots up around you. You allow yourself to be lifted up a little, enjoying the weightlessness, the way your fair floats and billows up around you.

The light vanishes. Gravity reasserts yourself, and you land on your feet with a dull thud.

You’re surrounded by gardens. Lush, vibrant plants, heavy heads of huge pink blossoms. The sky above you is somewhere in between sunny and overcast, the air filled with the scent of recent rain and wet soil. There’s a slight wind, chilly but not unpleasant.

Hesitating a little, you step off the warp pad.

It’s so still here. Peaceful, serene. But not silent. There’s the gentle twitter of birdsong, and the twinkle of of rushing water. Rose’s fountain. The sound leads you to it. There’s no attacking plants this time, no impenetrable fence of brambles. Nothing to stop you from walking right underneath the arc into the inner sanctum of Rose Quartz.

You experience a brief flash of mental dizziness as Connie’s imagined expectations of the place clash with Steven’s true memories of it. It passes quickly, however. You try not to feel unsettled by the many still, silent statues surrounding you. They’re not going to move. They’re just statues.

You find yourself at the fountain’s base without having even realized you were moving. The largest statue of Rose Quartz looms above you, tears gently flowing from her eyes into the basin below. ‘ _She felt true love for those around her. She felt true sorrow for when they were hurt._ ’

The water stirs only very gently, and when you look into it, you see your own face looking back at you. You’re a little surprised by the sight. You’ve never actually seen a reflection of yourself before. Familiar features, arranged in new, wonderful ways. Long curly black hair framing a warm bronze face. Wide, amazed eyes staring at Steven’s soft smile and Connie’s sharp nose, all coming together to make something entirely new.

Well. Not _entirely_ new. But there is one thing on your face that isn’t Connie’s _or_ Steven’s. A golden circle sitting in the middle of your forehead. The placement reminds you a little of Pearl's gem, though the colour and shape don’t match.

You reach out with a cupped hand and fill it with tears. You raise it to you forehead, splashing it over the magical artefact. You expect to feel _something_ — a tingle, a shift, but nope, nothing. You pull experimentally again at the metal glob stuck to your head, but it’s still stuck fast.

Well. It was worth a try.

You wipe your hands along your arms and legs, the bug bites vanishing instantly. You smile in satisfaction, then set off. The Garden’s a pretty big place. Rose Quartz still might be around here somewhere.

You head out through the main arch and wander experimentally along the paths. Pink flowers and thorny bushes still dominate, but they’re far from the only plants. You see all sorts of things— daffodils, tulips, lilies, even orchids, in splendid bright purples, yellows and blues. You’re not an expert, but you’re pretty sure that this is a wrong environment for most of these plants, but yet they’re still flourishing. It’s beautiful.

You turn a corner, and suddenly, there she is, right in front of you.

Rose Quartz.

This is the Gem. The Gem you’ve heard so much about. The one with a portrait hanging above the door in the Temple. The one who started the rebellion against Homeworld. The one that Pearl pledged herself to, who she threw herself in front of, time and time again. The one who welcomed Garnet with open arms. The one who found Amethyst, lost and alone in the Kindergarten. The only person to attend Mr. Universe’s beachside concert, who clapped furiously when it was finished. The one who saw beauty everywhere, and in everything. The one who gave up her whole life, just so you could exist.

She’s sitting up to her knees in dirt, shovelling manure.

Maybe you gasp, or step on a stick, or something— because she hears you, turns towards the sounds. “Pearl? Is that—?“

She breaks off mid-sentence when she sees that it isn’t Pearl, or Garnet, or Amethyst, or anyone she could reasonably expect to find in her isolated magical garden. Her face flickers through surprise, concern, confusion… then settles on curiosity. Her eyes move from your face to fixate on your stomach.

“H- hi,” you say.

“Hello.” Rose Quartz straightens, and never once looking away from you, wipes her hands on her dress. In a few quick strides she closes the distance between you. You stare up at her. She’s so tall.

She reaches out a hand towards your belly, your gem, almost touching it— but holding back at the last moment. “That is my gem,” she says. “But… no, it’s not, is it? Not precisely.”

“No,” you say. And it isn’t. The cut is the same, but there’s a quality, a difference, between your own and the Rose Quartz gem. An extra shininess, an iridescence. “My name is Stevonnie, m-ma’am.”

“You’re a fusion,” Rose says, and it’s a statement, not a question. “But who of?”

“Connie Maheswaran. And… I know this will be hard to believe, but your son. Steven Universe.”

A quick intake of breath. A shake of the head which causes a cascade of pink curls. An unreadable expression. “ _Well_.”

“Do you believe me?”

“Actually, I do. But I’m afraid that I’m going to need some more information. How did you get here?”

“I— um— time travel,” you say. Your palms are sweating, your tongue feels too big for your mouth. Suddenly, fiercely, you don’t want to be here.

Or no. No, you do want to be here, you’re _desperate_ for it, but you’re nervous, and at the same time, another part of you wants to be far away, wants to give you some space, you shouldn’t both be here, this is Rose Quartz, this is _Steven’s_ Mom, you shouldn’t be here too— but you want you here— no, this is private, you should- _no no no n_ o _nonononononono_!

And suddenly you’re on the ground, convulsing, crying, trying to split apart, but you can’t you **can’t** —

“Stevonnie, Stevonnie!” a voice is saying, and someone’s holding you, gentle but firm. "What’s wrong?”

“We went back in time,” you’re saying, you’re sobbing. “We went back in time— I don’t know how, this weird magical artefact hit us in the head, and suddenly we were in Beach City, and I was so confused— and we were fighting, the Gems, they _need_ me— and Dadiverse was there, and he was so young, and he didn’t know who I was— and I don’t want to be stuck here, I want to go home— and- and I can’t **un** **fuse**!”

You’re wailing by the end of it, face flushed with fear and embarrassment. You take deep heaving breaths, trying to get a hold of yourselves.

“Oh, dear,” Rose says. She brushes your hair away, touches your forehead. “Is this the artefact you mentioned?”

You sniffle. “Yes.”

“I recognize it. The Orb of Answers.” She moves away, and you make yourself look at her. She’s settled onto her knees, keeping a careful distance.  “It takes thousands of years and astonishing amounts of energy to form. Once it has, however, it has a remarkable power. The first person who touches it will receive the answer to their greatest, most burning question.”

Again, you trace the metallic bump on your forehead. “So it _did_ bring us here.”

Rose nods. “It cannot always provide the answers itself. But it can put you into the position where you can discover them.”

“But… why can’t I unfuse?”

It’s. It’s not that you don’t like being Stevonnie. That you don’t like being _yo_.

Nothing like that at all. You feel so… so great, so confident, so warm. There have been times, you think, that you— or Connie, or Steven— have even considered that one day they might like to… well, maybe not all the time, like Garnet, but maybe…

It’s just. Fusion is a choice. Every moment of it, is a choice. And the thought of not being able to choose— of being stuck this way— it makes you think of Malachite, the experiments beneath the kindergarten and in the hospital, Gem shards welded together, twitching limbs and pained moans and screaming, flickering faces—-

Your fists clench. No. No, you’ll never be like that. _Never_.

But you want to be free to choose.

Rose looks thoughtful. “I think it’s because… the question it’s trying to answer is yours. Yours, specifically. Not your components’. The orb's holding you together to ensure that you, and you alone, get the answer.”

“Me alone?” you say, incredulous. You’re a fusion. There is no ‘alone’. “That’s silly.”

Rose’s mouth twitches in a grin. “Perhaps. But that’s how it is.”

You sigh heavily. “So… when I get my answer… everything will go back to normal? I’ll go back to my own time, I’ll be able to unfuse?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Okay. Then I need that answer!” You swell with confidence, then deflate almost immediately. “Um. How do I get it?”

“I believe that rather depends on your question.”

“Uhhh,” you say. Because the magical orb has apparently plucked you from time to answer your ‘greatest, most burning’ question, and you’re not even sure what that _is_. How does that even work, exactly? How can some metal ball know something like that before you do?

Subconsciousness, that’s how. Same as dreams.

Still annoying.

Alright, then. What is it, that you want to know more than anything else? It can’t be something normal, like ‘ _Where can I get the best pizza in the world?_ ’ or ‘ _Which chemical element is number 24?’_ ’ because then it just would have dropped you in front of a restaurant or a chemistry textbook.

So what question do you have, that can only be answered in this place, at this time?

You bite your lip. What do you want to know? More than anything?

Memories surge to the surface…

 _You’re lying in bed, clutching at the Gem where your belly button should be— You’re in your bed, clutching at the lost bracelet, still glowing faintly in the dark— You’re sitting in a dark movie theatre, staring blankly at the screen playing commercials, holding a kinda cold soda to your scrapes and wondering if that last hour with the lion and the robot and the giant sword_ really _happened at all—  “Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, I did it! I did it! I healed Connie, I have magic spit!”— You’re tracing the empty frame of your glasses with your finger, wondering if you should get fake plastic ones, wondering if it’s even worth the bother, since your parents haven’t noticed yet— How on Earth did your life get to the point where you’re having a family dinner with a six armed giant woman?— Confusion and disorientation and shoes that are suddenly too small for you feet— Understanding hits you, all of you, both of you, in an instant— “I’m a fusion!”—  You were a fusion, you were someone other than yourself, and you’re not even sure what that means-- you think you like it-- but for a few hours, you weren’t even_ human _\-- Sometimes you wonder what Connie sees in someone like you, she’s so much smarter and cooler-- Sometimes you wonder why Steven’s friends with you, why he’d want to hang out with someone so nerdy and boring-- You’re glad you’re friends, though, so, so glad-- “Human beings,” Mr. Universe says, and you’re thankful you have someone who understands-- “Human beings,” Dad says, and you feel something uneasy in your stomach-- “What’s it like, being a fusion? Do you forget who you used to be?”— “You’re going to be something remarkable, Steven… You’re going to be a human being.”_

Finally, you ask, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you do it? Why would you give up your memories, everything… for a human?”

Rose looks genuinely surprised. “Why… well, why wouldn’t I? Humans are so wonderful. Clever, creative, dynamic—“

“— short-lived, weak, magicless,” you interrupt. “Humans— we’re just so _ordinary_ in comparison.”

“Not at all.” She sighs. “Stevonnie, look around the garden. What do you see?”

“...plants?”

“Yes, plants. So many different types of plants. And birds, and butterflies, and worms, and a million other kinds of creature. So varied and so, so vibrant. The nature of organic life is change. It adapts, or it dies.

“Gems, meanwhile? We’re essentially rocks. Strong and sturdy. We _can_ change, but we resist it, and it takes a long, long time. I fear that if we do not learn from organic life, we’ll destroy ourselves along with it.”

For a moment, you’re flabbergasted— but then, you think of what you’ve learned of Homeworld, what they’ve done to their own kind. How they were going to execute Ruby, how they cast Garnet out, how Jasper called Pearl ‘defective’ and Amethyst ‘a runt’, how Peridot used to flinch at everything, afraid that anything could be a weapon, and the horrible, torturous forms of the forced fusions…

Gems are great, but Homeworld? Homeworld really _sucks_.

“I think, perhaps, you already know what I mean,” says Rose, seeing your expression. Voice heavy, she asks, “How old are you?”

You’re not even sure how to start counting your own age, so you say, “Connie’s almost thirteen, Steven’s fourteen.”

“So young,” says Rose. She is smiling, but her face is somehow sad. “But already so brave.”

You squirm a little.

“Could you…” Rose says, looking suddenly, inexplicably shy. “Could you tell me a little about yourself? About Steven and Connie?”

You’re the one who’s meant to be getting answers, but this is _Rose Quartz_ asking, and besides, it’s the easiest question in the world. “Well I— they— I mean, Connie’s so smart. She reads all the time, and understands so much! She works so hard— Pearl’s teaching her to sword fight, she’s really amazing at it, I use your sword, by the way, I hope you don’t mind… And Steven, he’s so funny and sweet, and brave too— he saved my life, twice, the first time we met… He just makes everything so fun, and, and…

“And you’re my best friend,” you say, and it’s not Rose you’re saying it to.

You hear a sniffle. You look up to find Rose crying— just a little bit, enough to make her eyes shiny and her cheeks wet.

“You know… For me, it was only just yesterday that I asked Greg about the possibility of having a baby,” she says. “I am so, so glad to know that I will make the right choice.”

In your head you feel a sudden, cold shock, like a jet of arctic air. Something drops away; automatically, your hand flies forward to catch it. In your hand is the Orb of Answers, no longer golden, but black, as though rusted straight through.

Your eyes fly back to Rose Quartz. You have one last look at her face— warm, overjoyed, proud—

— and then you are gone.

Or back.

Another dizzying swirl, and you land on your feet. The serenity of the garden is gone, replaced by buzzing, and screaming, and someone’s yelling, “Stevonnie!”

You twirl around in disoriented panic. Amethyst is climbing out of a pile of rubble, Pearl is fighting an entire hoard of locusts by herself, your sword is lying on the ground five feet away, and Garnet’s rushing towards you. You blink at her, then shout, “Don’t worry, I’m okay!”

The Orb’s still in your hand. You give it a passing glance, then surround it in a shining pink bubble. You dismiss it without a thought, sending it to the Temple. Then you summon your shield and go diving for your sword.

You have a lot to think about.

Later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And t-t-t-th-that's all folks!
> 
> Seriously, I had a lot of fun with this one, and I hope y'all enjoyed it too.

**Author's Note:**

> I found myself wanting to write something where a) Steven goes back in time, b) Stevonnie, and c) I got to play around with second person POV... and then ended up combining all three ideas into one. 
> 
> A huge kudos to my wonderful friend [LadyRavenEye](http://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRavenEye/pseuds/LadyRavenEye) who beta'd this.


End file.
